Unused holiday pay

A man stuck with an unwanted luxury holiday to Dubai worth thousands of pounds after splitting with his partner has founded an online marketplace where travellers struck by illness, trauma or a relationship breakdown can try to sell their non-refundable flights, cruises or hotel rooms. Simon Powell was able to claim some money back on his flights but £3,000 worth of hotel rooms went to waste. “Virgin charged me a no-show fee but the rest went into my account as credit, but with my booking direct with the hotel there was nothing they could do,” he said. “It was actually the receptionist at the hotel that gave me the idea. “She said ‘can you bring someone else or can you find someone else to take the booking off you and we can change the name of the booking?’ and I could charge them what I paid for the room and make some money back.” Powell, who had no such luck, was struck by the absence of a platform that would allow holidaymakers with an … [Read more...] about New ‘eBay for travel’ lets you buy people’s unwanted holidays

Bank holidays can be costly. The average long weekend getaway costs £407, according to American Express research, while even staying at home means racking up an average bill of £116. However, you could make your extra day off more than pay for itself (hat-tip to the nurses, firefighters, police, bar staff and everyone else who isn’t enjoying a work-free Monday). Spending even just an hour brushing up your finances could save you an average of £5,000. Okay, it is not as interesting as Pimm’s in the park or football on the beach or even completing all those DIY tasks that have been lingering unfinished since August bank holiday. But a bit of work on your personal finances could really pay off. Here are some of the ways you could make this weekend’s bank holiday pay. Switch energy providers (do it now) – £315 This is probably the most common piece of advice given in money saving articles and it’s probably also the most ignored. If … [Read more...] about How to make your bank holiday earn you £5,000

Should you have to cancel a holiday due to the death of a family member or close relative, travel insurance usually covers you for any charges or expenses you paid, or were contracted to pay, for your holiday before you were due to leave for it. Similarly, should you have to cut short a holiday due to the death of a loved one, you will typically be reimbursed for the unused portion of your trip which you have already paid for. This is known as curtailment cover. There are, however, many cases where you won't be covered for cancellation or curtailment, so it is important to read the small print of your travel insurance policy. Family member?Some travel insurers might not cover you for cancellation or curtailment costs after the death of a family member if that individual is a cousin or a relative typically considered a distant one. The Sunday Independent surveyed a number of insurers - getcover.ie, justcover.ie, Chill Insurance, Blue Insurance and VHI (VHI Multitrip) - to check … [Read more...] about Small print could cost you big if tragedy hits holiday plans

Brits are so unwilling to bin unused items that they have £48billion of stuff stashed away. Researchers found a typical ­home has a hoard worth £1,784. Some 35% of us have amassed old books. They top the list of Britain’s most hoarded items which includes board games, DVD players, slow cookers, juicers and dumbbells. Two thirds of adults admit gear they never, or rarely, use is tucked away in their lofts, sheds, spare rooms and garages. Cost of unused items in our homes Source: eBay Around one in three people like a clear-out every year but one in 10 only sort out belongings when they move, a survey of 1,500 adults by online marketplace eBay revealed. Its consumer-to-consumer director Nikin Patel said: “Over the spring bank holidays there are an average of 710 million searches on the site which is why we are encouraging sellers to make May pay through savvy selling.” Read More Hidden treasures - could you have any of these? Britain's top most … [Read more...] about Hoarding Brits have £1,784 worth of unused items stashed away in their homes

I left quite a stressful job a few months ago and have just discovered I've been overpaid for holiday I didn't take. I didn't take much time off while employed on account of the lack of staff and abundance of work, and even when I did manage a day of holiday here and there, I ended up working anyway. Despite the holiday build-up, I'm certain the firm has calculated it wrong and I've been paid too much. I've heard nothing from the company and who knows if it will spot the mistake. I'm in a bit of a dilemma as I don't know whether I should pay it back. If the company did ask for it back I can't really pretend I didn't know about it. Do I have to pay it back and should I? Anon, email Legally,... To continue reading this article Start your free trial of Premium Access all Premium articles Subscriber-only events Cancel any time Free for 30 days then only £2 per week Try Premium Access one Premium article per week Register for free … [Read more...] about Moral Money: ‘My old employer overpaid me for unused holiday when I moved jobs. Do I have to return it?’